Tales from ThunderClan
by bucca2
Summary: Hi! This is my Warriors fanfiction, about an alternate universe ThunderClan completely different from the official Warriors arcs. Join the cats of the clans on a new adventure you won't be forgetting anytime soon!
1. Chapter 1: Pheasant!

**Hey guys! Sorry about the thing with chapter 13-just pretend you never read, it okay? It was supposed to be chapter 14 (which is out now). Since you've already read chapter 14, just read chapter 13 and I'll get chapter 15 out ASAP. Also, for chapter 4-Morningpelt's mentor was actually Clearnose, who, as you know, is now an elder. Wintershade's was actually Oakberry, who is also an elder now. Sorry for the confusion.**

**Sorry about the chapter 12 thing-I did post a chapter from another story :P**

"Honeyshade! Honeyshade!" The mew sounded through the ThunderClan camp as Featherpaw, Honeyshade's apprentice, came running through the camp.

Honeyshade had been talking to Ravenwing when her apprentice came crashing through into the warrior den and nearly slammed into her. "Honeyshade! Honeyshade!"

"What? What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Honeyshade asked, panicked by Featherpaw's noisy entrance. She'd been deep in discussion of where to take their apprentices hunting later when Featherpaw came crashing in.

"Mossflank and Gingerkit are in the medicine den-Gingerkit's got a bellyache and Mossflank's afraid it's something serious!" Featherpaw panted.

"Oh! Please tell my sister that I'm sure Gingerkit will be fine. Thanks, Featherpaw," Honeyshade said.

"No, no, she wants you to be there," Featherpaw said. "She's really worried."

Honeyshade sighed a little. "About a bellyache?" Featherpaw shrugged.

"Alright, well, I guess we'll settle on the Meadow, Ravenwing," Honeyshade said reluctantly. Ravenwing nodded and went off to find his apprentice, Pebblepaw.

Honeyshade nodded at Ravenwing. "Follow him," Honeyshade said to Featherpaw. "We're going hunting with him and Pebblepaw after I'm finished with my overdramatic sister in the medicine den, okay? Practice your stalking like I said."

Featherpaw nodded eagerly and bounded out of the warrior den and trailed behind Ravenwing.

Honeyshade reluctantly left the den, not wanting to have to calm down her constantly overexaggerating sister. Eventually she stood at the entrance to Leafwing's medicine den, and prepared herself for the spectacle.

The medicine den itself was a nice place, full of the pleasantly sharp smells of herbs, but Mossflank's wails drowned it all out.

"_Just _mallow and chervil? Shouldn't she have something a little more substantial, like feverfew or catmint?" Mossflank cried as Leafwing carefully assembled a small pile of mallow and chervil on a large beech leaf.

"No, Mossflank, I know you're worried but feverfew or catmint would not help Gingerkit here," Leafwing said calmly. "It would be foolish to waste such precious medicines on a bellyache."

"Oh! But to save the life of a kit..." Mossflank trailed off, looking suggestively at the unmoved Leafwing.

His eyes lit up in relief when he spotted Honeyshade at the entrance to the den. "Oh, look, Mossflank, your sister's here!"

Mossflank whirled around. "Finally! I was starting to think that bumbling apprentice of yours wouldn't get the message to you at all!"

"Calm down, Mossflank, it's not that terrible," Honeyshade answered. "And Featherpaw's a good apprentice. He'll be a great warrior."

Mossflank snorted, clearly not convinced, but dropped the subject. "Would you believe it? Leafwing refuses to give us anything but chervil and mallow!"

"What ails Gingerkit?" Honeyshade said calmly, smiling at her little nephew, who squirmed a little in pleasure, although his small face plainly showed he was in pain.

"Oh! A bellyache, but I _know_ it's not any old bellyache! Oh, oh, oh, Honeyshade, sister, do help me!"

"Mossflank, calm yourself. If the chervil and mallow don't help, we'll worry about that later, but if it's only a bellyache, Gingerkit should be fine. Let poor Leafwing be." Leafwing looked relieved as he wrapped up the beech leaf with Gingerkit's chervil and mallow.

Mossflank huffed a little. "Fine. Come, Gingerkit. Let's get back to the den." She picked up the small beech leaf package and left, Gingerkit stumbling at her heels.

Leafwing breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Honeyshade. I thought she'd never stop nagging me to 'pack something more substantial'. I know she's your sister, but she gives me a headache."

Honeyshade laughed a little. "It's alright. Sometimes she gives me one too. Anyway, I've gotta go. Ravenwing and I are taking our apprentices out hunting." Just the thought of hunting with Ravenwing lifted Honeyshade's spirits, even if the apprentices were going to be coming along. Leafwing's face fell a little.

"Oh, alright. Then I shouldn't keep you," he said, turning away to his herbs.

"Bye then," Honeyshade said, puzzled by his sudden change in attitude.

"Bye," Leafwing said, a little coldly. He didn't look at her.

As Honeyshade ducked through the bramble barrier keeping the ThunderClan camp safe and headed towards the Meadow, she puzzled over Leafwing's coldness at the mention of Ravenwing's name. Hadn't the two always got along? Ravenwing had done nothing to Leafwing, as far as she could remember. She decided to put it aside. Leafbare had arrived, and the fresh-kill pile was looking a little small, and that translated into quite a bit of hunting. With Ravenwing, though! That counted for something, right?

Honeyshade couldn't sort out her feelings for the sleek black tomcat. She felt giddier than a kit around him, yet also respected the many more moons of experience he had and felt a little embarrassed around him. Lately whenever he complimented her or asked her things, her pelt would burn a little and she'd start stuttering, tripping and falling all over her words.

Soon Honeyshade found Ravenwing, Pebblepaw, and Featherpaw by the Meadow, practicing stalking and getting ready to hunt. Featherpaw's eyes lit up.

"Honeyshade!" he exclaimed, and was promptly hushed. "You'll scare off the prey," Ravenwing said, lightly scolding the apprentice. Featherpaw looked embarrassed. "Sorry," he said, much quieter.

Honeyshade smiled. "That's alright. Let's get hunting. Ravenwing? Do you want to split up?"

Ravenwing sniffed at the air a little. "I think we can trust these two to hunt together, and not fool around," he said. "Perhaps mentors and apprentices pair up?"

"Sounds good," Honeyshade said, trying desperately to keep the shakiness out of her voice. She looked at Featherpaw and Pebblepaw. "Are you two sure you'll do some real hunting?" The two apprentices nodded eagerly.

"I want to see each of you get at least a squirrel today," Ravenwing added. "Leaf-bare's started, so keep your eyes and ears open. And stay close to the camp, alright? We've got enough on our plates without having to look for two lost apprentices."

The apprentices nodded and quietly skittered off, leaving their two mentors together alone in the Meadow. An awkward silence settled in.

"Well-do you want to see if we can get any birds? I've been craving crow lately," Ravenwing said with a small smile.

Honeyshade smiled back. "Sure." So off they went, into the trees, carefully listening for the flutter of wings.

Soon Honeyshade heard a familiar rustle of starling wings. Ravenwing must have heard it as well, because the two looked at each other.

"You go get it," Honeyshade whispered. "I'll prowl around and see if I can find anything else."

Ravenwing nodded, and, listening carefully, climbed silently up a tree.

Honeyshade moved off a little ways, distancing herself from Ravenwing and the starling, listening carefully.

Suddenly a delicious smell wafted into Honeyshade's nostrils. _Pheasant_. She nearly gasped. Pheasants were huge land-walking birds, that would feed the Clan well. If she managed to catch one of those...

Silently she stalked through the snow, following the pheasant scent as it got stronger and stronger. And suddenly: there it was.

Quickly Honeyshade ducked behind a tree, and with several silent lopes, climbed up the trunk and walked out onto a limb, right above the oblivious pheasant. Wiggling her haunches slightly, she readied to jump onto the pheasant.

A starling's last warning call echoed through the forest, alarming the pheasant and making it run a few paces forward. Although she was happy Ravenwing had caught his starling, she hoped he had enough sense to smell the pheasant and wait. She had to catch it quickly, before something else startled it again.

She moved further down the limb, and, balancing precariously, leaped from the branch and landed, claws unsheathed, squarely on the pheasant.

It let out a shrill warning caw as it struggled underneath Honeyshade's weight, flapping its wings in an attempt to get away, but it was a futile effort. After securing the pheasant underneath her, Honeyshade delivered the killing bite to the neck, and the huge bird went limp underneath her. Quickly she thanked StarClan for its life.

Then her stomach rumbled. A pheasant! She'd caught a pheasant! And so easily too. What luck!

Just then, Ravenwing came slinking around the corner, and, at the sight of Honeyshade, said: "There's a pheasant around-" Then he saw her bounty.

His jaw hung open in disbelief, dropping his starling through a paw of snow. Honeyshade giggled. "Pick up your starling, silly," she said. "You're gaping like a kit."

Ravenwing shook himself. "Honeyshade, you're amazing!" Honeyshade felt her pelt go hot. "N-not really," she said. "It was luck, I just climbed up a tree and pounced on it."

"StarClan must be watching over you today," Ravenwing said excitedly.

"Oh! Oh my StarClan!" Honeyshade gasped. She'd completely forgotten to thank StarClan for helping her to catch the pheasant at all. She muttered a quick thank-you to her ancestors and thought she felt a soft pelt rubbing against hers. Happiness welled up in her at the thought of all the full bellies that would sleep happily back in camp after the pheasant was gone.

The pheasant, by some StarClan miracle, was fat and heavy, so heavy that Honeyshade quickly got too tired to drag it along. Ravenwing took it upon himself to bring it to the Meadow, where they'd meet the apprentices, then eventually to camp.

Pebblepaw and Featherpaw were already in the clearing, each with a skinny-looking rabbit, but their eyes widened at the pheasant.

"Wow! Ravenwing, good catch!" Featherpaw squeaked.

Ravenwing put the pheasant down for a moment. "Actually, Honeyshade caught this one," he said, looking back at her with a twinkle in his eye. "I caught the starling she's carrying."

"Oh. Well...Honeyshade! Good catch!" Featherpaw said, recovering quickly.

"I see both of you have had a good haul," Ravenwing said, examining the rabbits. "Good job, you two. We're proud of you."

The long trek back to camp wasn't easy, with mentor and apprentice pairs rotating, but thankfully the Meadow wasn't too far from camp and the four cats were there before long.

The happy cries of their Clanmates were well worth the endeavor: warriors tripped over one another to get at it, the kits tumbled out of their den like small balls of fur, their mothers purring loudly at the sight of the meal. Even Robinstar had a twinkle in her eye, something the Clan hadn't seen in a while. Leaf-bare had been long and especially hard on the ThunderClan leader.

Soon every cat was stuffed, and still meat lay on the pheasant's bones. Some of the elders took some of the meatless bones, insisting it was to sharpen their teeth, but every cat knew they just wanted to savor whatever juices lay on the bones without eating more than they needed of the precious pheasant meat.

No cat really cared.

Stuffed and sleepy, all the kits, queens, elders, and some of the warriors headed into the dens to sleep-the sky was darkening anyway. The remaining handful of warriors yawned as they buried the fresh-kill to chill in frozen holes.

Soon the entire camp was asleep under the light of the half-moon.


	2. Chapter 2: Badger Trouble

"I smelled a badger nearby," Brindleflame said one day.

He had just come back with a hunting patrol that had come back nearly empty-pawed: all scrawny squirrels and thrushes. Every cat's stomachs growled as they thought of Honeyshade's pheasant almost a moon ago as they settled down for some stringy squirrel or a bite of skinny thrush.

"What?" Ravenwing seemed to go still. "A badger?"

Every cat knew what a badger could do. It had been ShadowClan's demise, after all, so many moons ago. They stole and killed kits, and no sane warrior ever even _considered_ taking one on themselves, for every cat knew of the badger's trampling paws, sharp claws, strong jaws, and deadly bites. And wasn't the only friendly badger ever known to cat, Midnight, buried under the tallest tree on the Island?

"Yes! A badger! Sorrelspark smelled another trail not far from mine, too!" Sorrelespark came running in through the entrance, eyes wide open and terrified.

"There are badgers in the area!" she yowled. "We must-"

"We know!" Lightningflight came padding out of the warriors' den. "They must be the ones causing the prey shortage!"

"Now, now," Honeyshade said, following Lightningflight out of the den, "there's no need to jump to conclusions-"

Lightningflight rounded on her. "_No need to jump to conclusions_? ShadowClan was _killed_ by badgers, and Midnight was slaughtered _by her own kin_! Have you forgotten how heartless and cruel badgers are? They kill _kits_!"

Honeyshade backed up a little with a frightened expression on her face, while Ravenwing jumped into the conversation and said: "Lightningflight, stop it. There's no need to terrorize your own Clanmates-she understands." He glanced at Honeyshade. "Right?"

"Right." Honeyshade said warily, quickly glancing at Lightningflight. He rolled his eyes.

"The question is, what are we going to do about it?" Brindleflame cut in. "I'm not going to let my kits be carried off and eaten by some black and grey striped menace! We have to drive it out!"

"Nobody will be driving any badgers out alone," said a serene voice as Robinstar came out of her den and shooting a glance at Brindleflame and Sorrelspark. "Just how old were these scents?"

"Really fresh, Robinstar! For sure!" Sorrelspark squeaked. "No more than two sunrises ago!"

Robinstar shot Sorrelspark a look. "That doesn't sound too recent to me," she mewed. "They may have moved on since then."

"My scent trail was less than two sunrises ago, Robinstar," Brindleflame said, stepping forward. "It could be just one badger returning twice, perhaps just to catch prey. It's no large threat-we can defeat one badger with all our warriors combined."

"But what if there are many badgers just outside the territory? A whole nest of them, occasionally straying in chasing prey, and planning their attack? We should entertain all possibilities," Lightningflight said.

"We would smell such a thing," Robinstar said. "But just in case, we should assemble a patrol to reinforce the border-ensure nothing's getting in. Thrushfur, can you assemble that patrol? I'm afraid I need to rest for a bit."

Thrushfur, who had followed Robinstar out, yawning a little, looked a little startled. "Of course, Robinstar," he said. The center of camp was now full of warriors and apprentices.

"Brindleflame and Sorrelspark, you can show us the scent trails briefly before we secure the border. Ravenwing and Lightningflight, you two had better come along as well, just in case. And Honeyshade, we will need another nose and pair of eyes. Six cats is more than enough-remember, we are _not_ to engage in battle unless absolutely necessary."

The five cats nodded, and they were off, happy in the knowledge that they were going to protect their Clan, yet they all had the sinking feeling that they wouldn't return.

"I'm probably just being paranoid. I mean, we're within our own territory, right? What's there to be afraid of?" Sorrelspark chattered, clearly nervous.

"Yes, well, your constant chatter's setting my nerves on edge," Lightningflight snapped. "You had better be right about this nest of badgers."

"That was what _you_ thought! Not me!" Sorrelspark yowled, but was silent for the rest of the way along the border.

Suddenly every cat's noses curdled: the overpowering, mangy scent of badger went in a crooked line towards a clump of large bushes. Sorrelspark gasped.

A badger kit came snuffling out the base of the bushes, dumbly not smelling the cats not a fox-length away. They quickly ducked behind a cluster of large rocks, and recoiled as they saw what came after the kit.

It was the biggest badger they'd ever seen, and they'd seen quite a lot during the Badger Battle of the Clans many moons ago. They had all been kits then, but this badger was easily larger than Thrushfur, the largest cat in camp.

"It's _huge_," Honeyshade whispered.

"They must be eating all the prey!" Brindleflame yowled angrily. Sorrelspark beat him over the head with her tail to shush him.

The huge badger turned towards the pile of rocks where the cats were hiding, nose in the air. The cats yelped and slunk behind the rocks. None of them dared to so much as mew.

Sunrises seemed to pass as they waited for the sound of the badger sniffing about to subside, and the sun really was beginning to go down when the rustling of leaves indicated the badger's retreat.

The cats all breathed sighs of relief. "I thought it would never leave," Honeyshade squeaked. Ravenwing draped his tail around her shoulders, making her heart leap like a nervous kit. She could see Sorrelspark was terrified as well: she was leaning against Brindleflame with wide open eyes. Her brother purred and rubbed against her, mewing quietly under his breath to calm her down. Lightningflight and Thrushfur walked together, talking quietly.

No cat felt like being alone now.


	3. Chapter 3: Whispers in the Forest

Honeyshade had just woken up when she heard the cries from the nursery.

"Dewkit! Dewkit! Oh my little Dewkit's gone!" Cherrycloud's wails sounded out throughout the entire camp.

Brindleflame was out of the warriors den in a moment. "What? What?" he cried. Dewkit had been born a moon ago in a blizzard: the biting cold had killed her brother and sister. And now Dewkit was gone, as well: what would Brindleflame and Cherrycloud do now?

Sorrelspark left the warrior den next, loping into the nursery and accidentally waking up Mossflank and her kits Gingerkit and Heatherkit.

"What's happening?" Mossflank hissed, upset at being awoken.

"Stop your yammering. Dewkit's gone," Sorrelspark snapped, sniffing around a hole in the side of the den the size of a small badger. A small, very fat badger. Mossflank gasped and shrunk away in terror.

"Gingerkit? Heatherkit? You're still here?" she mewed, checking them over. Sleepily they purred softly in response.

Just then, Robinstar and Thrushfur came bounding into the clearing. Every cat but Sorrelspark and Brindleflame looked up and stood at attention as the leader and deputy of Thunderclan looked over the group of sleepy, frightened cats gathered in the clearing.

"There is no need to be frightened," Thrushfur yowled. "Dewkit was found by a RiverClan patrol very early this morning: she was being dragged along by a badger. The RiverClan warriors fought off the badger and took the kit into their camp to be healed, and they sent Dappledust to tell Robinstar. We sent him off with our entire Clan's thanks."

Purrs of relief filled the clearing, and joyful tears filled Cherrycloud's eyes. "She's safe! She's safe! Oh, she's really safe!" Brindleflame stood close by his emotional mate, looking stoic but relieved.

After the commotion died down, Robinstar and Thrushfur padded off to Robinstar's den, while an ecstatic Brindleflame selected members for a hunting patrol.

"Morningpelt and Honeyshade, you two have the noses for large prey," Brindleflame said. "Ravenwing, you're skilled at catching some of the smaller prey. That should be enough: Honeyshade and Ravenwing, you may also bring your apprentices."

Featherpaw and Pebblepaw skipped out from the crowd gathered by the apprentice den, giddy with excitement.

"Let's hunt by the Meadow," Brindleflame decided, and off the patrol went.

"Wait! Brindleflame!" Cherrycloud ran up. "I want to come as well!"

"No, love, we already have too many cats coming along," Brindleflame said. "And what if RiverClan were to return Dewkit while we're out? Our daughter will need her mother after the ordeal, you must stay."

Cherrycloud nodded, but it looked very resigned as she slunk back into the nursery. The patrol left, happy in the thought that they were doing this to help Dewkit's return home.

_The poor kit,_ they all thought. _Thank StarClan for the kind hearts of RiverClan._

But yet every cat knew it was not kind hearts that urged RiverClan's intentions. Or they thought they knew, anyway. The bond the two remaining clans had after the Badger Battle of the Clans seemed too strong.

_It was a quiet night when it happened._

_The forest seemed to come alive with assailants: Badgers came by the dozens, clawing and biting and trampling._

_The frightened and caught off-guard cats of ShadowClan ran for the hills: the WindClan hills, in fact, but they were no match for the badgers: the few cats that escaped were shocked to find that WindClan was under siege as well._

_They fought long and hard, throughout the cold, bitter night, blood staining the grass and making it slick underneath the warriors' paws. Finally, those who remained hid in a large, camouflaged rabbit's den. They killed the rabbits in them and quietly ate while badgers sniffed outside._

"_What will we do?" the cats asked each other. "How will we survive this slaughter? What's to keep the badgers from attacking RiverClan and ThunderClan?"_

_They decided they must select two brave cats to bring the news to the other two Clans: Lakepelt and Coppersmoke._

_The two waited until there was no rustling of badgers outside the rabbit's den, and dashed out into the night._

_They would never see the Clanmates they left in the rabbit's den again._


	4. Chapter 4: A Return and a Ceremony

Dewkit returned safely, but she was not the same: she was constantly talking about how amazing the RiverClan cats were, and how delicious fish was, and how laughably easy catching them were.

"I know fish taste muddy, but that's the reason why they're so much more tasty than a bird or a squirrel," Dewkit said one sunrise, trying to explain the taste to Gingerkit and Heatherkit. "One of the warriors caught a fish to show me, and it was amazing how he did it: flash went his paw, and suddenly there was a silver-scaled fish on the river bank!" Dewkit demonstrated with a quick swipe of her right front paw, while Gingerkit and Heatherkit looked at each other with puzzled looks.

"Yeah, but...we're ThunderClan and we don't eat fish," Gingerkit said. "Does it matter how good fish tastes?"

"Yes, it does!" Dewkit yowled indignantly. "Of course it matters! I'm going to catch a fish one day, just you wait!" And away Dewkit ran, into the nursery.

"Whatever. She can fantasize about fish all she wants," Heatherkit said flippantly. "You and I are going to become apprentices, Gingerkit, and we don't care about the crowfood that RiverClan eats right?" she said.

"Right," Gingerkit said, looking off towards the nursery where Dewkit had disappeared with a wistful look on his face. Heatherkit tapped him on the head. "Uh, hello? Pay attention!" she snapped. "We're going to become 'paws and you're never going to become one if you get all moony-eyed every time silly Dewkit talks about fish!"

Gingerkit and Heatherkit weren't the only ones anticipating a ceremony: Featherpaw and Pebblepaw were anxiously waiting for their warrior ceremony.

They'd been recommended by Honeyshade and Ravenwing, and they'd passed their assessment with flying colors, even if Pebblepaw had thrown up a little bile after it. And tonight, they were going to become _warriors_.

"Let all cats who are old enough to catch their own prey gather," called Robinstar, climbing to Highrock, Thrushfur sitting vigilantly at her side. Rumors had been spreading throughout camp about the two, but no cat was really concerned, even though Thrushfur had been disappearing into Robinstar's den every night for unknown reasons. They were the leader and deputy: they were probably discussing important things, anyway.

Excited, Featherpaw and Pebblepaw padded up to the front of the crowd, which parted willingly for them. Gingerkit and Dewkit stood off to one side by the nursery, looking just as excited as the two 'paws at the front of the crowd of ThunderClan.

"Do you think it's our apprentice ceremony?" Gingerkit asked his sister.

"I don't know...Featherpaw and Pebblepaw seem awfully excited," Heatherkit said doubtfully.

"Well, they won't when Robinstar asks us to come forward," Gingerkit said, jutting his small chin out as he looked at Featherpaw and Pebblepaw across the clearing. "I wish we could attend. We're old enough to catch our own prey! Besides, what if it turns out the ceremony's for us?"

"Quit wailing," Heatherkit snapped. "We'll never become 'paws like them if you keep wailing about it not being your ceremony! Be happy for them!" She ignored Gingerkit's huffy "you always say that" and intently watched the Highrock.

"Today, we will honor the achievements of two brave apprentices," Robinstar said with a gracious smile, looking down at Featherpaw and Pebblepaw as if they were her own kits, "and we will elevate two kits to replace them as apprentices. Featherpaw, Pebblepaw, Heatherkit, and Gingerkit, please come before the Highrock." The cats of ThunderClan mewed their approval in a yowling chorus as the two apprentices stepped forward and the two kits came tripping next to them from the nursery. Mossflank looked on proudly from a place in the crowd by the nursery.

"Mossflank won't have to stay in the nursery anymore," Gingerkit mewed very quietly to his sister as Robinstar began the speech for Featherpaw's ceremony. "She can move back to the warriors den."

"Shh," came his sister's scold. "Listen." Gingerkit rolled his eyes.

"...call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Robinstar looked at Featherpaw.

"Do you, Featherpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

In a quavering voice, Featherpaw said: "I do." Gingerkit wanted to sneer to his sister about Featherpaw's nervous shaking, but he had the feeling it would only earn him another shushing.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Featherpaw, from this moment you will be known as Featherthicket. StarClan honors your initiative and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Robinstar then jumped down from Highrock and rested her muzzle on Featherthicket's head, and accepted his lick on her shoulder. She then turned tail and leaped back onto Highrock as the Clan yowled: "Featherthicket! Featherthicket! Featherthicket!" Featherthicket stood off to one side, pelt burning madly, as the process was repeated with Pebblepaw.

"Pebblepaw, from this moment you will be known as Pebblepelt. StarClan honors your spirit and energy, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Yowls of "Pebblepelt! Pebblepelt!" filled the air.

"Now for our kits. Gingerkit, please step forward," Robinstar said, looking perhaps a little tired. Gingerkit hopped up giddily, earning a disapproving look from his sister. Yet he didn't care at all.

"Gingerkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Gingerpaw. Your mentor will be Morningpelt. I hope Morningpelt passes all she knows on to you."

Morningpelt stepped forward as Robinstar said: "Morningpelt, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Clearnose, and you have shown yourself to be clever and intelligent. You will be the mentor of Gingerpaw, and I expect you to pass down all you know to Gingerpaw." A chorus of Gingerpaw's name filled the clearing as Gingerpaw and Morningpelt touched noses, then stood off to the side by Mossflank.

As Robinstar began the fourth ceremony of that day, Heatherkit stalked proudly forward to take her place in front of Highrock. Gingerkit thought she seemed almost regal in her movement, graceful and proud.

"Heatherkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Heatherpaw. Your mentor will be Wintershade. I hope Wintershade passes all she knows on to you." Wintershade, looking surprised, stepped forward.

"Wintershade, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Oakberry, and you have shown yourself to be skilled and strength. You will be the mentor of Heatherpaw, and I expect you to pass down all you know to Heatherpaw." Chants of Heatherpaw, the nose touching, and then Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw were escorted by their mother to the apprentices' den, while Featherthicket and Pebblepelt were proudly accompanied to the warriors' den by their old mentors.

"Heatherpaw!" Dewkit came sliding out of the nursery on her tiny paws, Cherrycloud watching protectively from the nursery's entrance. Brindleflame was busy talking to Wintershade by the fresh-kill pile.

"Congratulations!" Dewkit squeaked. "I want to be just like you one day!"

"Of course you will," Heatherpaw purred soothingly. "You'll be a better warrior than I."

Gingerpaw was taken aback. What had happened to his snappish, uncaring, and cold sister Heatherkit? Back in the den, _he_ had been the one to play with Dewkit, and now Dewkit wanted to be _just like Heatherpaw?_ It wasn't fair.

Dewkit squeaked happily, mewed: "Yeah!" and ran back to the safety of the nursery. Heatherpaw turned and nodded at her brother. "Let's get in the den," she said.

Suddenly a sharp mew came from the nursery. It was Cherrycloud, finally losing her patience with Dewkit. "I will not hear another word of fish and RiverClan! They've poisoned your mind, and I won't have it!"

A loose ring of cats gathered, trying not to look interested as Dewkit whined: "But fish is so good! It tastes much better than mangy squirrels or rabbits!"

Cherrycloud let out a faint growl. "_Not another word!_" she yowled. "If you so much as breathe another thought of eating fish, I'll drop you off at the river myself and leave you there!"

A gasp came from the spectating cats. Cherrycloud would never do that-would she?

Dewkit whimpered slightly as Cherrycloud went on. "I've half a mind to go over there and claw whoever fed you that fish, because they've poisoned your mind against us! Back into the nursery-I need a bite of fresh-kill and some water." And with that Cherrycloud grabbed a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and actually _padded out of camp_. It was unheard of. Brindleflame looked as if he would go over to comfort his young daughter, but when he saw others staring at him, he turned away determinedly and talked animately to Wintershade. Dewkit went into the nursery, head down, to sulk.

"Madness! Wouldn't you say?" Heatherpaw said to her brother. "Come on, let's get our nests together. Featherthicket and Pebblepelt don't seem like the neatest of cats." And with that, Heatherpaw disappeared into the apprentices' den, leaving Gingerpaw to stare after Dewkit.


	5. Chapter 5: Revelations

Two moons had passed, and there was no longer any turmoil in the nursery: to every cat's surprise, Sorrelspark and Lightningflight had confessed their love for one another and Sorrelspark was heavy with Lightningflight's kits. She spent her days resting in the nursery while her mate stalked loftily around the camp, bringing up his "beautiful" mate and kits up whenever he could.

Heatherpaw almost couldn't stand it. "He walks around camp as if he were the ones having the kits," she said, gagging. " 'Our kits are going to be the fastest and best warriors in ThunderClan,'" she said, imitating Lightningflight's stuck-up voice and imitating his strut. Dewkit laughed.

Really, she was Dewpaw now: it was after her apprentice ceremony that Lightningflight and Sorrelspark had shyly announced their secret love. Well, really only Sorrelspark had been shy: Lightningflight had been bouncing off the walls of the warriors den shrieking about his kits. None of the cats in camp had gotten any sleep, not to mention the warriors in the den with him. Finally Wintershade got sick of his constant caterwauling and cuffed him on the ear to make him settle down.

The next morning was bright and clear, birds were chirping, and the last stubborn paw-sized lumps of snow in the corners of the camp were gone. The Clan was well fed, fat yet sleek, so early in newleaf. The prey seemed to have become dumber, more mouse-brained and less skittish now that food abounded. But still the forest was filled with plump mice, squirrels, and birds, and hunting patrols occasionally had to make two trips to bring all the prey back. The fresh-kill pile was larger than it had ever been in the history of ThunderClan, towering almost to the size of the apprentices' den.

"It's a blessing from StarClan," Leafwing had said to his new medicine cat apprentice, Dewpaw. "They gave us a plentiful newleaf after such a harsh winter."

Dewpaw nodded as best she could with large bundles of coltsfoot and comfrey roots in her mouth and under her chin. They'd gotten it from the abandoned Twoleg nest, which seemed to have almost all the herbs the cats needed: the nest's garden was well-guarded ThunderClan secret: the other Clans couldn't understand why ThunderClan guarded a useless old Twoleg nest so fiercely.

Thrushfur stepped out of the warriors' den to organize the afternoon hunting patrol, quickly picking Honeyshade, Ravenwing, Brindleflame and Mossflank.

Brindleflame and Mossflank immediately went their separate ways, while Thrushfur lingered to make sure every cat was staying in the general area of the Meadow. Then he caught the scent of a rabbit and was off.

Honeyshade and Ravenwing were left shuffling their paws awkwardly together. "Well...I guess...do you want to hunt together?" Honeyshade asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Ravenwing shrugged. "I don't know. Depends on what you want to do."

"I guess...what do you want to do?" Honeyshade asked, then mentally cuffed herself on the ear. _You mouse-brain!_ she thought. _No tom will like a stuttering she-cat for a mate!_ Then she felt her pelt go hot. _A mate? Where did that come from?_

She knew exactly where it came from.

"Let's split up," Ravenwing said awkwardly. Honeyshade felt herself slump.

"Okay," she said, a little disappointed, then padded off in the direction Mossflank had gone. She looked back twice to see Ravenwing going in the opposite direction, towards where Thrushfur had gone. He didn't look back.

Honeyshade stalked around a bit, tasting the air for prey, and caught a squirrel just before it scrambled up a tree. Not feeling in the mood to see if she could catch anything else, she buried the squirrel and went to find her sister sneaking up on a plump mouse. She waited until she caught it before going up to her.

"Hey, Mossflank," Honeyshade said, a little depressed. Her sister immediately picked up on it. "Oh, Honeyshade, what's wrong?"

Honeyshade hesitated, then decided to just tell her sister about the whole Ravenwing situation. They were littermates, sisters, after all. And Mossflank would direct her down the right path. Look at her old mate, Sedgedawn: he'd died during the Badger Battle of the Clans protecting her while she was giving birth to his kits. He was able to see and meet his daughter and son, who, remarkably, had opened their eyes almost immediately, before passing to StarClan. Mossflank had been inconsolable for a moon and a half, always crying out: "He died protecting me! He died protecting me!"

"It's Ravenwing," Honeyshade blurted. "I...I really like him, but he's been so distant lately."

Mossflank looked at her in surprise, then derisively shook her head. "No," she meowed. "I'm sorry, sister, but it's not going to happen."

Honeyshade felt herself collapse. "Really?" she asked feebly. Mossflank nodded.

"Why?" Honeyshade wanted to know. How was Mossflank so sure it she and Ravenwing couldn't become more than just friends in the future?

Mossflank shook her head again, picking up her mouse. "Where did you put your prey?" she asked around the mouthful of prey. Honeyshade gestured in the general direction of where she'd left the squirrel. Her sister nodded and started padding towards there.

"I can't tell you why because you'll be upset," Mossflank finally said. "You'll think I'm trying to keep you from Ravenwing out of spite."

"I wouldn't," I said. "You're my sister. I'd never lie to you, and I know you wouldn't lie to me either."

Mossflank shrugged a little. "When it comes to love, some cats will not listen to reason."

"I will. Please just tell me," Honeyshade begged.

Mossflank looked doubtful. "Okay, but you have to promise not to get upset at me in turn."

"Promise. Now tell," I said. Mossflank spared no time.

"Ravenwing's in love with Morningpelt."


	6. Chapter 6: The Unfairness of It All

Honeyshade felt her legs go weak.

"Wh-what? But she's...she's much younger than he is! Way younger!"

Mossflank frowned. "Not really. Only by a pawful of moons. Remember, he was hardly an apprentice when she was kitted."

"But...but it's not fair!" Honeyshade wailed. "I love him back!"

"Oh, Honeyshade." Mossflank rubbed her pelt against hers, purring a little. "You'll get over him. If he can't see you for how wonderful a cat you are, well, frankly, he's a mouse-brain and doesn't deserve you. Tell you what. Don't be too upset yet-I'll watch Ravenwing these next few days and see if he really does like Morningpelt-I could be wrong."

Honeyshade nodded miserably, already knowing what her sister would observe but not be able to say. She didn't know how she'd missed the clues, herself: Ravenwing always seemed to be talking to Morningpelt lately, tagging along with her to the fresh-kill pile, trying to get on border and hunting patrols with her, discussing this and that with her. Ever since Featherthicket and Pebblepelt had become warriors, she and Ravenwing hardly ever talked anymore. And Ravenwing always acted differently around Morningpelt, bolder, always puffing out his chest and bragging as subtly as he could whenever she could hear. He always acted like Honeyshade did around him.

As she dug up her squirrel and silently padded alongside Mossflank back to camp, she felt as if the weight of two hefty badgers had been placed on her back.

"What's wrong?" Leafwing asked as soon as Honeyshade set paw in camp. He'd been lounging by the tunnel, for what reason Honeyshade didn't know, and didn't care to know. Honeyshade shrugged as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile and dropped off the squirrel.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Leafwing asked, concerned, as he picked a sparrow from the pile.

"No. I've lost my appetite," she said, wanting nothing more than a good nap.

"Surely you should eat something. Like a mouse, or a thrush. Ravenwing just brought in two really fat rabbits. Do you want to share one? You've gotta keep your strength up."

Leafwing's incessant babbling was driving Honeyshade crazy, especially at the mention of Ravenwing's name.

"No, no thanks, I really have to go take a nap right now," Honeyshade said brusquely, padding off to the warriors den without looking back.

Mossflank soon joined her in the den. "I can't believe you missed that," she meowed after setting down a mouse in front of her sister's nest and in front of her own. Honeyshade pushed it away.

"Not hungry," Honeyshade said, pushing the mouse towards her sister. "What did I miss?"

"That sad look Leafwing gave you when you turned him down cold for that vole," Mossflank said, pushing the mouse back. She gave her sister such a stern look that Honeyshade meekly took a bite of the mouse. It was still warm and fragrant, and she might have enjoyed it under any other circumstances.

"So what?" she replied after her bite of mouse. Mossflank leaned down and took a bite of her own mouse. "It's not like we've stopped being friends. I haven't cut him off or anything. I go to see him in the medicine den all the time."

Mossflank gave her sister a look and swallowed her bite of mouse, then took another. "You can be so dense sometimes," she said.

"What do you mean?" Honeyshade, tired of her sister being so vague, got up, ready to find another place to be by herself.

"Leafwing _likes_ you!" Mossflank said, swallowing the rest of the mouse and springing up to walk along with her sister.

"Of course he does. We're friends," Honeyshade, refusing to consider the alternative.

"Seriously?! How can you be so _dense_? Leafwing loves you!" Mossflank yowled. Luckily the two were still in the warriors den, so no cat heard them.

"You're wrong! He's a medicine cat. We could never be mates. Besides, you know I love Ravenwing. Even if Leafwing wasn't a medicine cat, I wouldn't want to be his mate," Honeyshade said.

Suddenly Mossflank's eyes went wide, looking over Honeyshade's shoulder. Honeyshade sighed, turning around. "What now?"

The question lodged in her throat when she saw that Leafwing was standing at the entrance to the warriors den. A finch he'd been carrying had fallen to the ground, and Leafwing was gaping like a kit.

He picked the finch up and bounded away without a word.

"Oh, no!" Mossflank wailed. "You've broken his heart!"

"_Me_? All I said was the truth!" Honeyshade said. "We're friends, and nothing more!"

Mossflank threw her a dark look. "If you're lucky enough to keep his friendship," she said, padding towards her nest. She picked up Honeyshade's almost untouched mouse and left the den with it.

Honeyshade was all alone.

_I'll go find Ravenwing and ask him_, Honeyshade said. _Maybe Mossflank's wrong about him and Morningpelt-maybe there's still a chance that Ravenwing and I could become more than friends_. But even as she asked around for the tom, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Finally she found him, talking to Morningpelt by the fresh-kill pile. She didn't know how she'd missed him before-he'd been on the side facing the warriors' den.

"Ravenwing! I have to talk to you." Honeyshade said, padding over. Ravenwing and Morningpelt looked startled.

"Sure." Ravewing didn't move until Honeyshade added, "Alone." Ravenwing and Morningpelt exchanged glances before Ravenwing followed Honeyshade to the dirtplace tunnel.

"So, what's up?" Ravenwing said.

"I..." Suddenly Honeyshade didn't want to ask such an awkward question, but went ahead with it. "Do you...that is...do you think...do you like Morningpelt?"

Instantly Ravenwing looked nervous. "Yeah...I mean, we're friends, right?"

Honeyshade was frustrated with how vague everybody was being today. "I mean, _do you want to be Morningpelt's mate_?" she said, a little angrily.

Ravenwing looked startled. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell. I wanted to keep this a secret until the very last second."

"Yes?" Honeyshade said irritably.

"Morningpelt's going to have my kits!" Ravenwing said excitedly.


	7. Chapter 7: Meadowstripe's Message

Everything seemed to blur. Colors swirled, the sun dimmed, and everything swayed in front of Honeyshade's eyes.

Ravenwing loved Morningpelt.

She felt dizzy, angry, sad, a mix of emotions churning around inside her and keeping her from doing anything but choking out a quick "I've got to go" and flying into the warriors' den.

Before she knew it, she'd fallen into a fitful sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the Meadow, and a dead vole lay at her paws. Had it all been a dream? Had she simply fallen asleep while hunting, and none of it had happened?

Did that mean Ravenwing was not in love with Morningpelt at all?

Excited by the thought, she picked up the vole and headed in the direction of the ThunderClan camp entrance.

Before she could go into camp, though, a cat came through it and stopped her. "Honeyshade," the strange cat mewed.

Or not so strange after all, because it was Meadowstripe, Honeyshade's dead mother! She gasped, and the vole fell from her mouth.

"Meadowstripe! You're alive!" Honeyshade cried, and immediately ran up to rub pelts.

Her mother purred softly. "No, dear Honeyshade, I am still quite dead."

"Oh." Honeyshade felt her shoulders slump. Then an idea occurred to her. "Then if you're still dead, and you're appearing to me in a dream, then...that means...everything that happened today actually happened." Honeyshade felt as if she could wail like a kit at the unfairness of it all.

Meadowstripe chortled in amusement. "You don't think it's strange you're receiving a dream from StarClan?"

Realization dawned. "Oh, that too," Honeyshade said. "Why?"

"It's not really a StarClan dream," Meadowstripe said. "I'm not here to deliver a prophecy. I am here to tell you something of utmost importance that pertains to no cat but you."

"What is it?" Honeyshade's heart thumped in her chest.

"My darling Honeyshade." Meadowstripe nuzzled her daughter's ear. "Never did I think your heart would be broken by Foxsmoke's son. He never seemed the type to be so clueless about another cat's emotions-I remember him as a kit. So helpful, always wanting to bring moss or water or food back to the den, playing a warrior, you see."

Meadowstripe's eyes glazed as she delved into the memories of her past again. A little more than uncomfortable at hearing stories about Ravenwing when he was a kit, Honeyshade debated eating the dead vole at her paws or not. Even though it was newleaf bleeding into greenleaf, she didn't want to waste such a plump vole, and take food out of the mouths of her Clanmates.

"Oh, you can eat that," Meadowstripe said, snapping out of her trance. "Don't worry about it. It's a gift from StarClan. Your father sends his best wishes."

Honeyshade's heart leapt at the thought of Eaglewing, her father. "Why can't he give me his good wishes himself?"

"You're not a medicine cat, my darling," Meadowstripe said. "If you're to have a dream, two cats appearing would be pushing it."

"Oh. So...I can have dreams from one cat?"

"Not at your leisure, dear. I musn't keep you here too long-just beware of Foxsmoke's son. He is not who he appears to be."

"But how? I love him! I've known him forever!" Honeyshade wailed as everything around her faded.

"Just remember who your friends and enemies are when the time you need to know the most comes. Thunder is raging, my daughter, and the entire Clan will be struck down by the one you call your love." And with that cryptic message, everything swirled and went black.


	8. Chapter 8: Nightly Stalking

Heatherpaw was woken by soft rustlings coming from the warriors den. Curious at who would be making such a racket so late into the night, she carefully stepped over Gingerpaw and Dewpaw's sleeping forms and out of the apprentices' den.

A shadowy cat darted towards the stone tunnel out of camp. Stifling a gasp, Heatherpaw went off in pursuit. How _dare_ another Clan cat enter the camp during the night! They'd even rolled in some brambles to mask themselves with ThunderClan scent.

_I could take any warrior on,_ Heatherpaw thought. _I've been practicing my battle moves to help my Clan-here's my chance_!

Heatherpaw silently followed along behind the intruder to see if she could identify which Clan they were from, maybe follow them to their camp. Her blood trilled as the intruded padded towards Fourtrees. So the intruder was WindClan! She knew the shady rabbit-nibblers had been too quiet as of late.

Heatherpaw had tailed the strange cat almost all the way to Fourtrees when suddenly the moonlight illuminated the cat's amber pelt and piercing amber gaze-Honeyshade!

_You mouse-brain_! Heatherpaw thought. _An intruder from WindClan rolling in brambles to disguise their scent? Get off it! No Clan would do such a thing so soon after the Badger Battle_!

She was ready to slink off through the bushes back to her cozy nest in the apprentices' den when she heard Honeyshade yowl in frustration. She'd climbed up a tree.

"Oh, Meadowstripe," she meowed to Silverpelt, "Please, come back! I don't understand!"

Heatherpaw stopped, confused. What was Honeyshade doing? Who was Meadowstripe? And hadn't Honeyshade just gotten here? She couldn't have met another cat so quickly-Heatherpaw had been watching her the entire time.

Maybe she should stay for a little while, after all.

Picking a bushy tree next to the one Honeyshade was perched in, Heatherpaw swiftly climbed up the trunk, avoiding branches. She couldn't let Honeyshade know she was being watched.

Honeyshade sat there in the tree for a little while, quiet, before saying: "I thought you said it wasn't a prophecy. I thought you said it only applied to me. Were you saying that I had to save the whole Clan? Is it anything to do with the badgers? Are they coming back?"

Silence. Honeyshade sat in the tree for a little while longer, as if trying to listen to something, then gave up, got out of the tree, and left for camp.

Heatherpaw followed.

The next morning, Honeyshade seemed a little down, wearily greeting every cat with a kind of tiredness that seemed to extend beyond the normal kind. She wouldn't meet any cat's eyes as she slunk to the fresh-kill pile, took a fat vole, and brought it with her to the medicine den.

Before Heatherpaw could see anymore, however, Dewpaw bounded up. "Hey," she mewed. She'd been hanging around the medicine den a lot, curious about the herbs and helping Leafwing with them, so she'd been made a medicine apprentice. She'd only just come back from the Moonstone.

"Hey," Heatherpaw replied. "I haven't seen you around. Is Leafwing keeping you busy?"

"As ever! He's been quizzing me on the uses of herbs lately, StarClan knows why, but I've been in the medicine den for so long, my nose and mind are clogged with herbs, herbs, herbs." Dewpaw rolled her eyes. "At this rate I'll turn into a comfrey root."

"We'd chew you up and make you into a poultice, then," Heatherpaw teased. "You'd make a great poultice."

Dewpaw stuck her tongue out. "As if!" But she was beaming as she grabbed a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and headed for the medicine den.

Heatherpaw took a squirrel from the pile and looked for some cat to share it with. Her gaze caught her brother, Gingerpaw, who was standing in the clearing looking a little awkward. Heatherpaw padded over and dropped the squirrel in front of him. "Do you wanna share some prey?"

Gingerpaw looked startled. "Sure, thanks," he mewed. The two 'paws lay down next to the prey and began eating.

"So, how's your training going?" Heatherpaw asked after two mouthfuls. "We haven't trained together in ages. Maybe we should ask Wintershade and Morningpelt if we can."

Gingerpaw shrugged, his eyes flashing to the medicine den. "Sure."

Heatherpaw followed her brother's gaze. "What's up?"

Gingerpaw shook himself a little. "Nothing. Hey, there's Wintershade and Morningpelt. Let's go ask them about training." He got up and headed for the mentors.

"But we haven't-" Heatherpaw argued, but her brother was already gone. Sighing a little, she took the last few bites of the squirrel and got rid of the bones, then joined the three cats by the apprentices' den.

"I don't see why not," Morningpelt was saying. "Let's take them out for some stalking practice after I get a bite to eat."

"Okay," Wintershade said. He flicked his tail at Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw. "You two wait a second. I need to get a bird or something, too."

"C'mon. Let's wait for them by the tunnel." Heatherpaw headed for the stone tunnel, her brother padding along behind.

They didn't have to wait very long. The mentors ate quickly, and the four cats were out of the camp. When they got to the training ground, Heatherpaw immediately smelled several squirrel scents.

She wasn't the only one. Both mentors perked their heads, eyes darting towards the direction of the freshest scent.

"So many squirrels," Wintershade breathed. It was leaf-fall, and already the trees were dropping their leaves and the winds were blowing cold.

"Should we..." Gingerpaw's tail flicked.

"Yes. But first let's see your stalking positions. You won't catch any of those squirrels if they can hear you from a mile away," Morningpelt said sternly. Immediately the two apprentices dropped into a crouched position.

"Keep your tail still, Gingerpaw," Wintershade said, circling his apprentice. "Any sudden motion and you'll scare off any prey fox-lengths away."

"Good job, Heatherpaw. Let me see your stalk," Morningpelt said approvingly. Heatherpaw slithered forward, belly down, hardly brushing the crunchy leaves on the ground.

"I think you're both ready," Morningpelt said, and the cats were off.

And they were gone.


	9. Chapter 9: Twolegs and Trees

The two apprentices and their mentors followed the scent trails for half a tree- length before the scent tapered out and nearly dispersed.

Disappointed, Gingerpaw sniffed around a little and caught the scent of a mouse. "Hold on, I think I have something," he said. He had gone no more than a rabbit length when he saw a twitching in a tuft of tall grass. Dropping silently into a crouch, Gingerpaw snuck up to the tall grass and pounced, pinning a small scrap of a mouse down and delivering the killing bite. The mouse wailed and went limp.

Gingerpaw muttered a quick thanks to StarClan for the mouse's life and carried the carcass back to where Heatherpaw, Wintershade and Morningpelt were waiting.

Morningpelt's eyes sparkled. "Good catch," she mewed.

"Good catch," Heatherpaw echoed, rubbing pelts briefly with her littermate. Gingerpaw purred a little: he hadn't spent so much time with his sister since they'd become apprentices.

Wintershade looked a little spooked. "I don't smell our border. Are we near the Thunderpath? Or Sunningrocks?"

The cats sniffed around. None of them could tell.

Suddenly Heatherpaw was scared. "Oh no! Are we lost? Will we die out here?" she said, dithering dramatically. Gingerpaw rolled his eyes.

Morningpelt tried to comfort her. "We won't die, silly. Don't panic. We can hunt for ourselves and we probably aren't very far from camp. And besides, when our Clanmates notice us gone, they'll come looking for us. Anyways, let's try and figure out where we are," she said, looking about, nose raised to the wind.

Heatherpaw gasped: she'd gone off a couple fox-lengths away and was looking intently at something. The other three cats joined her.

"Look!" she cried, but unnecessarily. They could all see the tall Twoleg barrier, made of smoothly cut tree trunks, and beyond it the sloping top of a Twolegplace not far off, nestled inside the Twoleg barrier.

They had found the Twoleg treecut place.

Suddenly rustling in the woods pricked all the cats' ears. It was clear that a Twoleg was coming, with its careless thrashing and crashing through the bush, but the question was: was it heading for them?

"We can't let the Twoleg see us!" Heatherpaw yowled, and Gingerpaw shushed her. "Don't worry," he mewed. "The Twoleg's probably just going back to its nest. It won't see us."

But Gingerpaw was wrong, and the sound of the Twoleg crashing through the forest was getting louder.

"Climb a tree," Wintershade ordered the apprentices, and Morningpelt nodded. Wintershade and Heatherpaw climbed a tall pine with thick boughs, Morningpelt and Gingerpaw scrambled up an oak and sat on a branch with most of its leaves.

Along came the Twoleg, muttering to itself, and dumbly passed right under the cats, not smelling them at all. _They really are quite stupid_, Gingerpaw thought. _But wait: they must be at least as smart as us, they're making barriers and treecut places and nests much bigger than ours_.

After the Twoleg's horrid crashing through the trees had faded a little, the cats got out of the trees and made sure the Twoleg was turning back into the treecut place, then headed for camp. After a little bit of wandering, they found the stone tunnel and ducked into camp.

Dewpaw came padding up. "How was training?" she mewed.

Heatherpaw and Gingerpaw exchanged a look. "Okay," Gingerpaw replied. "We didn't do much though: we were chasing squirrel scents all the way to the Twoleg treecut place, then we had to climb trees because a Twoleg was coming, and I caught-" Panic filled Gingerpaw's eyes. "I caught a mouse! Heatherpaw, I forgot the mouse! I have to go get it!"

Heatherpaw stopped him with her tail. "It doesn't matter, it was just a small mouse," she said. "It was a good catch, but you left it right by the treecut place. If we have time tomorrow we'll go over there and see if it's not crowfood yet."

Gingerpaw slumped. "I guess you're right," he meowed, then loped off to the apprentices' den.

Dewpaw looked at Heatherpaw, confused. "What's wrong? Is he tired?"

"I guess," Heatherpaw said, feeling a little tired herself. Suddenly her mouth erupted in a huge yawn.

Dewpaw widened her eyes and giggled. "You'd better go join your littermate, then. Have a nap before the next round of patrols."

"Try and wake us up, okay?" Heatherpaw yawned again, smaller this time. It was only just sunhigh, anyway. A couple moments rest would be OK.

Dewpaw stuck by her word, and woke them up in time for the next patrol, which the two apprentices went on. When they came back, Robinstar was on top of the Highrock again.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather," she meowed to the warriors, who were milling about talking to each other. Soon they all gathered beneath Highrock.

"Hazelkit," Robinstar said, and Sorrelspark and Lightningflights' kits squealed excitedly from the nursery entrance, then galloped to Highrock. Sorrelspark began cleaning them frantically.

Heatherpaw was surprised. She'd forgotten all about Lightningflight's kits ever since he'd gotten too busy to flaunt them in every cat's face. She hadn't noticed, either, that the kits were getting a little big for the nursery that was crowded with Ravenwing and Morningpelt's new kits, Cloverkit and Shadekit.

"C'mon, Mom, stop!" Mintkit mewed in frustration as her mother gave her a brisk cleaning. "It's my apprentice ceremony!"

"Hazelkit, you have reached age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until your receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hazelpaw. Your mentor will be Pebblepelt. I hope he will pass all he knows to you."

Pebblepelt stepped forward as Robinstar continued. "Pebblepelt, you are ready to take an apprentice. You received excellent training from Ravenwing, and I expect you to give Hazelpaw all your knowledge."

The clan yowled Hazelpaw's new name as new mentor and apprentice touched noses, and then it was Mintkit's turn. She was apprenticed to Featherthicket as Mintpaw, and her brother Cedarkit got Thrushfur as Cedarpaw.

"You're so lucky!" Mintpaw wailed as she and her littermates made their nests in the apprentices' den. "You have a deputy as your mentor!"

Cedarpaw purred. "Featherthicket's a great warrior too! I'm just lucky."

"No, not lucky," Hazelpaw said. "He must have seen your jumps and your stalks."

Cedarpaw snorted. "When I was a kit? Please."

Hazelpaw giggled. "You were a kit just now!"

Cedarpaw shrugged. "I'm a 'paw now."

By the fresh-kill pile, Heatherpaw shared a vole with Dewkit, while Gingerpaw polished off a starling and went off to find some cat. Her gaze was trained on the new apprentices, talking and laughing inside the den.

"It'll be good to have other 'paws in the den," Heatherpaw sighed. "I just don't think Gingerpaw and I will be in there any longer. It's been six moons."

"At least you won't have to treat Clearnose's ticks anymore," Dewpaw teased, but there was a tinge of sadness to her mew. Both she and her friend knew that when Heatherpaw had received her warrior name, she wouldn't for a while: the path was longer for medicine 'paws than for warrior 'paws.

Heatherpaw gave a half-hearted laugh. "Yeah."

After finishing the vole, the two cats headed for their nests, as were all the ThunderClan warriors as StarClan watched over them from Silverpelt.


	10. Chapter 10: The Change

_Leaf-fall_ Quarter-moon 2

That morning was a morning just like any other. Honeyshade had to watch as Morningpelt waltzed around with Ravenwing and her kits and apprentice, looking like the happiest cat in the Clans. She had to watch as Thrushpelt organized border and hunting patrols, and had to get up to join the former with Mossflank, who would try to start a conversation but would give up and go off to mark borders or talk to other cats.

"You should really get over him," she'd say before leaving, and Morningpelt would be the mopey cat, only catching small prey like scrawny mice or thrushes or wood pigeons, and the baleful glances from her Clanmates were getting more frequent and more intense every day.

She knew she was being unrealistic, and that Mossflank was right. So Ravenwing didn't love her, big deal. They could still be friends, right?

What she was really brooding on was Leafwing's feelings for her-the tom had been so kind to her lately, bringing her prey and sharing it with her, silently eating, not talking when Honeyshade wasn't in the mood and talking her ear off when she was.

So today was different. Instead of joining the early border patrol, she hung around the medicine den waiting for the hunting patrol.

"Hey, Leafwing," she said, padding into the thankfully empty medicine den. Leafwing looked up in surprise.

"Hey yourself," he said cheerfully, peering into a store of borage leaves.

Honeyshade flopped down next to him. "Can I help with anything?"

Leafwing looked up. "No, not really," he said. "Dewpaw usually takes care of that stuff. But thanks for offering." He went back to counting borage leaves.

Honeyshade felt her pelt burn. "Okay, well...I've got to leave on a hunting patrol...do you want to maybe share some prey when I get back?"

Leafwing looked at her strangely, so she quickly added: "If you haven't eaten already."

The blue tabby tom shook his head. "No, I haven't. I'd love to share prey."

Honeyshade perked a little. "Okay! See you when I get back." And with that, she left the medicine den.

Outside, Mossflank stood there looking at her sister strangely. "What?" Honeyshade demanded.

"You asked to share prey with Leafwing," Mossflank replied.

"So?" Honeyshade asked. "Has Thrushfur come back yet? Are we going on a hunting patrol?"

"He's not here yet, but-" Mossflank was cut off when Robinwing appeared in the clearing by where Wintershade was standing next to the fresh-kill pile, talking to Sorrelspark.

"Wintershade, can you organize the hunting patrol?" Robinstar looked tired, and her belly seemed unusually round. "Thrushfur's not back yet," she added unnecessarily.

"Sure," Wintershade said, looking a little bit surprised. He turned to Sorrelspark. "Can you come?"

"Sure," Sorrelspark said as Cedarpaw and Mintpaw came tumbling out of the apprentices' den, with Hazelpaw, Heatherpaw, and Gingerpaw following sleepily behind.

"Dihwemissthepatrols?" Gingerpaw asked his mentor sleepily as Cedarpaw and Mintpaw dashed up to their mother and began chattering at her excitedly. Heatherpaw stood by, scanning the clearing for Morningpelt.

"Morningpelt left on the border patrol," Wintershade said to Heatherpaw. "And I'm organizing the hunting patrol for now unless Thrushfur gets back. I'm afraid you can't come," he said sympathetically. Heatherpaw drooped a little.

_Why did Morningpelt leave on a hunting patrol? Her kits were only born a half-moon ago_, Honeyshade wondered, then decided that the elders were probably keeping an eye on Cloverkit and Ashkit.

"Why can't she come? Is it because we're too much for you to handle? We can hunt on our own, you know," Gingerpaw protested. His mentor gave him a strict look. "You may think you can, but I still need to keep an eye on you, and one is enough."

Honeyshade padded over. "I could come along and watch Heatherpaw if you think that would be okay, Wintershade," she said. The silver tom looked at her in surprise.

_Why does everything I do nowadays seem like a surprise to every cat?_ Honeyshade wondered as Wintershade thought for a moment. Gingerpaw started bouncing around, going: "Yes! Yes! Please, Wintershade!"

"Stop that," Wintershade snapped. Gingerpaw immediately stopped, looking hurt. "You're almost a warrior, not a kit fresh out the nursery."

Then he softened. "Alright, I suppose that would be OK. Sorrelspark," Wintershade said, looking next to him. Sorrelspark was being weighed down and tackled by her kits, all except for Hazelpaw, who stood by looking bored. She flashed a glance at Heatherpaw that said: _Can you believe my littermates right now?_

Sorrelspark shook her kits off, telling them to go get some fresh-kill, which they did. "Yes, okay, I'm ready now," she said. Wintershade nodded briskly.

"Me, you, Honeyshade, Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw...let's get Lightningflight," Wintershade said, looking around.

"Lightningflight's on the border patrol," Sorrelspark said, looking a bit irked that she hadn't been chosen for that patrol, as well.

"What about Brindleflame? Is he here? Or Cherrycloud?" Wintershade asked her. Sorrelspark nodded.

"Cherrycloud's gone on that patrol, but Brindleflame's here. I think he's in the dirtplace." Just as she finished, Brindleflame came loping out of the dirtplace saying: "I heard my name!"

"Yes-you're coming on the hunting patrol with us," Wintershade said. Brindleflame perked up a little.

"Is Thrushfur back, then? I need to ask him something." Brindleflame looked disappointed when Wintershade shook his head.

"No. Robinstar asked me to organize this patrol-she thinks Thrushfur is just a little late." Wintershade looked over his small group assembled in the clearing. "Okay...me, Sorrelspark, Honeyshade, Brindleflame, Gingerpaw, Heatherpaw. Let's go, then." And with that, the patrol ducked through the stone tunnel and into the forest.

Honeyshade watched as Heatherpaw pressed close to her brother and whispered something into his ear, making him bristle and reply sharply. Heatherpaw appeared to be teasing him, goading him on about something. Sorrelspark and Brindleflame went off to the side, brother and sister discussing something in hushed mews. Eventually they wandered off chasing prey.

Which left Honeyshade and Wintershade together, shuffling their paws whilst keeping an eye on the apprentices and scenting the air for prey.

"Hey, um, did you realize that our names both end in shade? It's funny how no cat realized that until now," Wintershade whispered as he watched Gingerpaw stalk a fat squirrel through the undergrowth, his sister approaching the unaware creature from behind just in case.

"No, I've never realized that," Honeyshade murmured as Gingerpaw's tail swished and hit a tree trunk, alerting the squirrel to his presence. The squirrel ran straight into Heatherpaw's claws, but Gingerpaw still looked disgruntled as Heatherpaw picked up the squirrel and carried it over to him.

"No, it's your catch," he was saying as Honeyshade and Wintershade padded up to them. Wintershade immediately began coaching a sullen Gingerpaw on how to keep his tail still, while Honeyshade just praised Heatherpaw for her quick thinking.

Gingerpaw did eventually catch something: a good-sized starling, Brindleflame caught a thrush, Sorrelspark a vole, Wintershade two mice, and Honeyshade a rabbit.

After getting back to camp and dropping off their catches, Honeyshade took a vole, not Sorrelspark's, probably from the last day's last hunting patrol. It was a little stale and would probably be stringy, but leaf-bare was getting cold very quickly, and she wanted to save the fresher fresh-kill for Morningpelt and her kits, or the elders like Clearnose and Oakberry, who had only recently finished the task of burying their lifelong friend, Echolily, an elder like them before she had died. Now the elderly mates seemed only interested in joining her.

She took the stiff vole over to the medicine den, where Leafwing was rifling through her chervil stores. A fidgeting Hazelpaw stood next to Mintpaw, who was lying in one of the nests in the den, groaning.

"Chew on this," Leafwing said, pushing a chervil root towards poor Mintpaw. She looked at the plump dark brown root and turned away.

"Eww," she said. "I'm not chewing that. It probably tastes like dirt and tansy."

"Okay, well, let me get you a piece of fresh-kill and we'll see if it's not just hunger." Picking up the chervil root, Leafwing left the den, shoulders slumped, as if defeated.

But Honeyshade knew better. As she set down her vole by where Leafwing slept each night and took a bite, she watched as Hazelpaw talked to Mintpaw, asking her if she wanted a water moss, if her nest was comfortable. Mintpaw said she would rather not move to do anything, but her sister looked skeptical.

_They may have been apprentices for many quarter-moons, but they're still kits_, Honeyshade thought with amusement as Leafwing came back with a rabbit. Mintpaw was apparently so hungry she ate the entire thing without noticing that the rabbit had already been sliced open by Leafwing's expert claw, or that there was an unfamiliar mush inside, or that the rabbit tasted slightly off.

Of course, how could she? She didn't know the old medicine cat trick of putting herbs in prey so kits would eat them. Honeyshade herself had had a horrible fever as a kit, and they had plenty of feverfew, except for the fact that Honeyshade hated, and still did, the smell of feverfew. No amount of coaxing or begging would get her to eat a few leaves. Eventually, Hollyash, the old medicine cat, had slipped a few leaves into a mouse. Since the fever had made the then-Honeykit ravenous, she'd eaten it all before realizing that there had been hints of green tucked in the meat.

Her fever had gotten much better, and as she watch Mintpaw scarf the rabbit down, she was suddenly reminded of the sad day Hollyash died.


	11. Chapter 11: The Badger Battle

_Two greenleaves ago _Moon 2 Quarter-moon 2

It was the fateful day of the Badger Battle of the Clans. Honeyshade and Mossflank, among several other 'paws, had just received their warrior names, when Hollyash stepped forward and said she was confident enough in Leafpaw's abilities for him to take over her duties as medicine cat, and for her to retire to the elders' den. Hollyash's elder ceremony was planned for when she and Leafpaw had gotten back from Moonstone, when Coppersmoke bounded into camp, his large green eyes frantic, his pelt streaked with heavy red lines oozing blood. The WindClan cat was out of breath, chest heaving.

"Badgers...have attacked...ShadowClan...they fled to WindClan...they're all dead..." Then the poor red tabby had collapsed in the middle of ThunderClan camp, much to the shock of the ThunderClan warriors. Their pelts stopped bristling with aggression at having a WindClan warrior charge into their camp and instead began discussing the news Coppersmoke had brought.

There was a bit of disputing among the cats whether it was a trap or not, but eventually Hollyash spoke out and cried: "You mouse-brains! Look at poor Coppersmoke-he risked his life to bring us this message! I will stay behind and attend to his wounds, while Leafpaw goes to Moonstone to speak to StarClan."

A gasp went through the clearing, and a few cats (including Leafpaw's then mother, Nettlebright) protested, but eventually Leafpaw went, and the Badger Battle of the Clans began.

Hollyash died trying to get comfrey to her Clanmates, as she was clawed in the throat by a badger before she could return to the safety of her medicine den. Nettlebright had been helping, and she as well died trying to help her Clanmates: a badger flattened her and delivered a deadly bite to the back of her neck, all in the matter of a couple of heartbeats.

Leafpaw came back to discover nearly all his Clanmates, including his mentor, mother, and father, Volefeather, dead, blood staining the ground littered with bodies, and the rest of his Clanmates fled to WindClan.

So, wrapping up as many useful herbs as he could think of in beech leaves and taking them with him, Leafpaw left the ThunderClan camp abandoned. It was the hardest decision he'd ever made, he said, but he had to do it-what would happen to him if a badger or two came back looking for any stragglers? Losing ThunderClan's last medicine cat would not be good.

At the WindClan camp, Leafpaw found a gathering of all the medicine cats and injured cats, chewing up poultices and handing out poppy seeds and cobweb. Leafpaw had brought almost all of ThunderClan's medicine supply, and almost all of it was used. During the lulls, he and the other medicine apprentices were sent out to gather more supplies or retrieve some from camps, while the badger war raged on in RiverClan's camp. A sparse line of warriors guarded the wounded in WindClan, gazes scanning across the barren moorland, while their comrades fought for their lives and medicine cats healed, fetched medicines, and frequently ran to RiverClan to replace the wounded with the healed.

This went on for three sunrises, and it was both exhausting and harrowing for both warriors and medicine cats alike. Badgers swarmed and choked the RiverClan camp, but there were, thankfully, much fewer deaths, and the Clan cats managed to keep the badgers from advancing from the river. During the battles, the messengers from ShadowClan and WindClan that ran to warn ThunderClan and RiverClan, Coppersmoke and Lakepelt, fought bravely, but both died. When the big bulky bodies of badgers lay in heaps around the banks of the river and the badgers finally retreated, the shambles of the Clans regrouped in WindClan and huddled together, a huge, frightened, wounded mass of cats who no longer cared about the divides between their Clans.

Slowly, slowly the cats healed and began to peel off into their separate Clans, to the horrors in their camps: the recent rains had washed the blood off the ground, but their Clanmates' bodies had begun to stink of crowfood, making every cat retch at the rank smell of death as they rubbed rosemary and lavender into the cats' pelts. Among the bodies were those of Thrushpelt's father, Otterstar, and the then-Robinsong's brother Thorntalon.

Robinsong, who had been the deputy, immediately went to Moonstone (without Leafwing, who was busy building up and organizing ThunderClan's store of medicines) to receive her nine lives, and named Thrushfur as her deputy, in honor of Otterstar, who had been on his last life and used it well in defense of not only ThunderClan, but all of his allies. He had died of a rapid infection from a badger scratch that had already swelled too far when the medicine cats discovered him, and they could not cure him.

Honeyshade was brought from her memories by Leafwing's meow.


	12. Chapter 12: The Stranger

_Leaf-fall_ Quarter-moon 2

"It's just a mouse!" Wintershade was saying. "StarClan will forgive us if we leave it out there by the Twolegplace! One of the kittypets there will probably eat it anyway. I don't like wasting prey, but it's starting to get cold, and I'm worried you'll get lost, all by yourself in the forest."

He and Gingerpaw were arguing about getting Gingerpaw's mouse from yesterday, when the Twoleg had passed by the cats by the Treecut place and forced them to climb trees. Gingerpaw still hadn't forgotten that plump mouse and its fragrant smell.

"If you'll just agree, then you can come with me!" Gingerpaw replied angrily. "It hasn't even snowed yet! It's still leaf-fall! And I'm not cold out here, so why would I be cold out there?"

Wintershade gave up. "I'd lost this argument before it started, hadn't I," he said sadly. "I would go with you, but I need to talk to Thrushfur about something. Brindleflame asked me to go with him and I said I would." He caught Brindleflame's eye across the camp, by Robinstar's den and nodded. "I'm sorry, but you'll just have to stay in camp."

"Where's Morningpelt, then? Can she take me? She was there, too," Gingerpaw said. Again Wintershade shook his head. "She's busy with Cloverkit and Ashkit, and Heatherpaw's training," Wintershade said. "I'm sorry, Gingerpaw. I know we need all the prey we can catch, and I'm sure it was a large mouse, but just think. It's probably stale and stringy by now."

"No! Can Honeyshade take me? Honeyshade!" Gingerpaw padded over to her as she was coming out of the medicine den. "I caught a mouse yesterday and I left it by the Twoleg treecut place. Can we go get it?"

"A mouse? Just a mouse?" Honeyshade looked doubtful. "We just got back from the hunting patrol...we don't really need to go all the way to the Twoleg treecut place just to get a scrap of a mouse?" She turned to Wintershade. "Do you really think he should go?"

"He won't give it up-would you go with him? I really need to get to Brindleflame over there," Wintershade said, glancing again at Brindleflame, who was looking impatient.

"Okay. Is Heatherpaw coming?" Honeyshade asked, but Wintershade was already gone, and Gingerpaw was halfway to the stone tunnel. With a slight sigh, Honeyshade followed.

Gingerpaw knew the way. His paws seemed to have a life of their own, retracing his steps to the Twoleg treecut place and his mouse.

He didn't know why he'd been so adamant in getting back to his mouse. It had just felt like something worth fighting for, and now, out here in the wilderness with Honeyshade padding along a few tail-lengths behind, it felt very silly. It _was_ just a mouse, after all, and he didn't even know why Wintershade had let him go. It felt like a foolish and pointless endeavor now, with the trees surrounding him and the breeze running through his fur.

But since he was out here, he had only to beg StarClan that the mouse would still be there, or else he'd be laughed at back in camp. And Honeyshade would probably not take too kindly to him hunting another mouse to avoid being embarrassed by his own silly obsession with the mouse.

When he got to the trees that he, his sister, and their mentors had climbed up to avoid the Twoleg, however, the mouse was gone.

"Oh no!" Gingerpaw wailed as he looked all around the area. "It's gone! We came out here for nothing."

Honeyshade looked sympathetic. "Perhaps you should have considered that before insisting on coming out here."

"I know, I know, it was harebrained of me," Gingerpaw said, dejected, when his search turned up nothing. Only hard ground littered with fallen leaves that crunched if a cat wasn't careful. "What'll I do now?"

Honeyshade was about to say something when a thudding came on the other side of the tall Twoleg barrier made of smooth, cut tree trunks. Both apprentice and warrior were immediately alert as a beautiful she-cat appeared on the top of the fence.

"Rogue!" Honeyshade hissed, as she unsheathed her claws. Gingerpaw agreed-the white she-cat looked too sleek to be a kittypet, who were often fat and lazy, or tried to be aggressive but moved pitifully slowly. She also had an air of quick wit about her, and that made her seem a whole lot more dangerous. A smart rogue was much more dangerous than a cat with slow or rushed thinking.

Gingerpaw was ready for the rogue to jump down and attack, when the rogue said: "I don't want to fight you."

Neither Honeyshade nor Gingerpaw sheathed their claws, but they were momentarily confused. "What?" Honeyshade asked.

"I don't want to fight you," the she-cat repeated. "I want to join you."

"We don't trust you," Honeyshade hissed, but Gingerpaw almost sheathed his claws.

The rogue really was a very beautiful she-cat, with her sleek, silky white coat and black-tipped ears and paws. What's more, she had one eye as blue as RiverClan's stream in newleaf, and the other as green as the leaves on the trees in greenleaf.

"I know you don't," the rogue said. "But I'm just so tired of hunting mice in the same mundane little places for the Twolegs. Do you think I could join your...what do you call them, Clans?"

Gingerpaw bristled a little. How did she know?

Honeyshade wasn't amused. "We hardly know you. You could be a spy from one of the other Clans, or you want to destroy our Clan from the inside. No way-go back to your cozy little Twoleg nest, rogue." Honeyshade bared her fangs.

_Whoa_, Gingerpaw thought, but kept his claws unsheathed. The rogue didn't seem to be readying for a fight like Honeyshade seemed to be anticipating-she was just sitting on top of the Twoleg barrier looking a little disdainful.

"How about this. I'll stay right here, and you two bring some more cats with you to escort me to your Clan, and your leader will decide if I'm a good candidate or not. Okay?"

Honeyshade still looked suspicious, but Gingerpaw was eager to comply. "Okay. Let's go, Honeyshade," he said. "My mouse is anywhere, anyways."

"Oh, that was your mouse? Yeah, I ate it," the rogue said, licking a paw. "It was delicious, if a little stale."

Gingerpaw felt anger flare inside him, and said to Honeyshade: "C'mon, let's _go_." The nerve of that she-cat! Eating his mouse! If Robinstar actually said she could join ThunderClan, he'd show her.


	13. Chapter 13: Dewpaw's Deception

_Leaf-fall_ Moon 3 Quarter-moon 3

"From now on, you will be known as Snowpaw. Your mentor will be Honeyshade."

It had been nearly a moon since Gingerpaw and Honeyshade had found Snow by the Twoleg treecut place, and she had proved herself trustworthy-she'd miraculously saved Cloverkit from falling into the river when she and Ashkit had snuck away from camp to Sunningrocks. Then, the following morning, ThunderClan woke to their camp covered in a thin layer of snow, which promptly melted in the sun, and Leafwing declared it was a sign from StarClan that Snow should be accepted into Thunder Clan.

And now she was, receiving her apprenticeship from Honeyshade.

It had turned out that Snow's parents had been Clan cats-a WindClan tom and a ShadowClan she-cat whom no cat in ThunderClan ever knew. The she-cat ran to have her kits away from the Clans, where she knew she would face scorn. Knowing she could never return to the Clans again, she raised her three kits herself, eating the food some Twolegs set out for her every day and and the mice she cleared out of their nest.

But one fateful day, the same Twolegs feeding Snow, her siblings, and her mother captured Snow and her siblings and separated them from their mother, who, grief-stricken, ran back to ShadowClan to find it empty. She was killed by a straggling badger, and never knew what became of her kits, or her mate, who was killed in the Badger Battle of the Clans.

Meanwhile, Snow, her sister Bramble, and her brother Patch were separated. What the Twolegs had done with her siblings Snow didn't know, because she escaped and made her way to the Twoleg treecut place. There she lived for all the moons since the Badger Battle of the Clans, training herself to catch mice like she always saw her mother doing and staying away from the Twolegs at the treecut place. Until she decided to see what was so amazing about the Clan life her mother always talked about and approached two cats looking for a mouse she'd eaten.

It also, happened, however, that she was still a very young cat, not much older than Gingerpaw or Heatherpaw, who were nearly warriors themselves. And after providing for herself for many moons, she didn't seem too eager to learn battle moves and hunting techniques.

"I know it's Clan code to defend the Clan and hunt," Heatherpaw heard her say once to Dewpaw, who she'd spent a lot of time with lately, "but I really don't like it. What's this herb called again?"

"It's a beech leaf. We use it to carry around herbs in bundles."

"Oh. Okay."

Dewpaw seemed uneasy, and for a while Gingerpaw thought it was because having a cat who was once a rogue and was the daughter of two cats who had broken Clan code made her nervous. But soon she was laughing and talking with Snowpaw like the best of friends, and yet she was still shifty and stammery. She would go out alone to collect herbs, then come back without any, dripping wet and smelling faintly of fish, saying frost had killed off the herbs. Then she'd do it again, even though if frost had killed off any herbs, it would've killed them all.

Gingerpaw was beginning to get suspicious, and he could tell Leafwing was, too. Then one day she came back with a bundle of slightly crushed comfrey and dropped it in front of her mentor. "Found some by the river," she muttered as she began to sort the herbs. "Fell in on top of some poor fish."

But the fish smell was coming from her mouth, not her pelt. And Heatherpaw said she'd seen tiny fish scales stuck to Dewpaw's claws.

Something very wrong was going on.

One sunhigh, while Dewpaw was by the fresh-kill pile gingerly picking at a thrush, Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw padded into the medicine, where Leafpaw was poking through his juniper berries looking for rotten ones.

"Let's cut to the chase, Leafwing," Heatherpaw whispered urgently. "We need to follow Dewpaw."

Instead of being shocked like Gingerpaw thought he would be, Leafwing simply nodded. "I don't trust her-any innocent apprentice would have stopped "leaving to get herbs" after they'd checked all our usual plants," Leafwing said. "Although she's right, frost is setting in a little early, she's just proving that she shouldn't be out there trying to get more herbs. And the comfrey she brought? It isn't fresh. Almost as if it's been picked for a while and has been sitting in some sheltered area."

Gingerpaw gasped as it suddenly all came to him.

When she was a kit, RiverClan had saved her.

She'd come back wanting to eat fish.

She was frequently leaving camp and coming back with a wet pelt and fish scales on her claws.

She'd come back with comfrey that wasn't fresh.

RiverClan was stealing Dewpaw.

It all made sense. They'd fed her some fish they'd probably rubbed some good-smelling herbs into, and made her fall in love with the taste of fish and be forever grateful to RiverClan. They'd deliver her back to avoid tension, but accept her when she came back to the river to fish. They'd probably showed her hunting techniques, and to chew herbs to get rid of the smell of fish off her breath, to rub her claws on the many smooth rocks in the river to wash off the pesky fish scales. But sometimes she was careless and forgot to take precautions. She'd asked for some comfrey from RiverClan's store of herbs to avoid suspicion.

Dewpaw was a traitor.

And judging by his sister's and his medicine cat's wide eyes, they'd figured it out too.


	14. Chapter 14: Tailing Traitors

_Leaf-fall_ Moon 3 Quarter-moon 3

Dewpaw was hungry, but she wasn't eating.

Honeyshade noticed this keenly from where she was sharing a vole with Snowpaw just outside the apprentices' den. Snowpaw was busy scarfing down vole, but Honeyshade had spotted Dewpaw picking uninterestedly at her plump thrush.

A burst of anger flashed through her. _That thrush was the fattest piece of prey I'd caught in a while!_ she thought. _You had better enjoy it!_

Instead, Dewpaw picked up the thrush and took it over to the medicine den, where Leafwing, Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw were talking in hushed voices. When Dewpaw got near, however, Leafwing said loudly: "That sounds fine."

_What's with the secrecy?_ Honeyshade wondered as the medicine cat gave his apprentice a bundle of rotten juniper berries to take out of camp. Not long after Dewpaw left camp, Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw followed.

_Huh_, Honeyshade thought. _Whatever could that be about?_

"You finish this vole. We'll do some hunting training later," Honeyshade said to Snowpaw, getting up and padding over to the medicine den, where Leafwing was shoving the good juniper berries back into their place in his herb storage.

"Hey, Leafwing," Honeyshade said, flopping down on the ground. "What's up?"

"The sky," Leafwing said humorlessly.

Honeyshade inched closer. "Come on, Leafwing, we're old friends. You can tell me what's on your mind."

Leafwing sighed a little. "I think Dewpaw's a traitor."

Leafwing explained the entire thing to a flabbergasted Honeyshade: how Dewpaw had been "leaving to get herbs" and coming back wet and with a whiff of fish scent. Honeyshade was appalled at the end of his explanation.

"What do you think she's told RiverClan? Have any herbs gone mysteriously missing? Maybe she's giving our herbs and secrets to them, the traitor!" Honeyshade said furiously. "We should tail her!"

"That's what Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw went to do," Leafwing said, nodding towards the stone tunnel.

"What if they follow her into the RiverClan camp? What if they get caught?"

Leafwing shook his head. "Even if they did, their scent would be masked by Dewpaw's. But I don't think they'll go so far as to follow her into camp."

Honeyshade fidgeted. "Oh, but I want to help them! I can't stand around doing nothing now that I know!"

Leafwing placed a paw on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said. "If they're not back by sundown, or by the time Dewpaw's back, we can go find them."

Honeyshade slumped. "Okay, well-maybe I'll go teach Snowpaw some battle moves to keep me occupied." Leafwing nodded and padded out of his den, leaving Honeyshade feeling the smallest bit snubbed.

But Snowpaw had vanished-Honeyshade couldn't find her apprentice anywhere. _She must have gone off looking for Gingerpaw and Heatherpaw_, Honeyshade thought hurriedly. _I have to find her before she goes after them and blows their cover_.

While she was running through camp, however, she crashed into Ravenwing.

"Oh! Sorry, Ravenwing," Honeyshade said, untangling herself and getting up. "I really must go," but Ravenwing put a paw on her shoulder.

Everything tingled. _Ravenwing's touching me_, Honeyshade thought with glee, then shook that thought right out of her bee-brain. _What's wrong with you? How can you still be in love with him? And he has a mate, remember? He has Morningpelt and his kits-he doesn't need you._

"Hey, have you seen Dewpaw?" Ravenwing asked casually. Honeyshade was immediately on the alert.

_Does he know? How much has Leafwing told him? Why? How is he involved?_

"N-no, I haven't seen her around. Have you seen Snowpaw? I'm afrai-I mean, I can't find her." Just in case Ravenwing didn't know.

"No. Um, sorry." Ravenwing shuffled his paws a little.

"Okay. Um, I've got to go find Snowpaw, then," Honeyshade said, leaving before she could embarrass herself. Pelt burning, she headed for the dirtplace tunnel.

She was still lost in thoughts of Ravenwing when she crashed into her apprentice.

"Oh, there you are! I was looking for you!" Snowpaw exclaimed. Then she took a closer look at Honeyshade. "Oh," she said. "I thought you were Dewpaw."

_Why?_ Honeyshade thought as she shook herself a little. _My pelt doesn't look at all like Dewpaw's, she's a silver tabby. Plus, I'm slightly bigger than she is._

"Are we going to do some training?" Snowpaw asked.

"Yeah," Honeyshade said. "Let's get to the sandy hollow."

Snowpaw slumped a little. "Battle moves again?"

"You really need to work on your front swipes. If Gingerpaw or Heatherpaw were here, I'm sure they'd be willing to help, but since they're not here, you can practice them on that tree trunk over there, claws unsheathed. Don't go too rough, though-we don't need you injuring anything."

As she watched her apprentice clawing at wood, Honeyshade's mind wandered to that dream she had after she'd discovered that Ravenwing was in love with Morningpelt, and the message her mother had given her. _Thunder is raging, my daughter, and the entire Clan will be struck down by the one you call your love._


	15. Chapter 15: The Evidence

The days went by, and Sombra was a frequent visitor to the Sisters' Castle. He was so charming and smooth, so unlike his former awkward, shy self. Celestia couldn't believe that it was still him, Sombra, a nopony from nowhere who had somehow won her sister's heart.

She still didn't trust him, but put on a happy face and pretended to. It was probably her being overprotective of Luna, anyway.

Luna seemed to have no problems trusting Sombra-they went all over the castle together laughing at their little inside jokes. Celestia would probably feel lonely without her sister, if only she had the time. While Luna was running around, giggling like a filly with her new pal, Celestia was busy trying to run a kingdom, a task that two ponies should have been sharing, really.

Celestia had long since stopped trying to get Luna to pick up some slack. Either she would promise to do some work, then waltz off with Sombra, or Sombra would tell Celestia not to be such a hardflank.

After a particularly trying day of office work, Luna visited Celestia in her room, to apologize. Which was just as well, lest Celestia go on a furious rampage and _beybelunge_ everything in sight.

"I'm sorry for making you do all the work, Tia," Luna had said, watching Celestia comb through snaggles in her orange-red-golden mane.

"Mmmhmm," Celestia said. "That apology might seem a little more genuine if you actually mean it," she grumbled.

"I do! I really do! Tell you what, tomorrow you go out and relax while Sombra and I do that day's work. It'll be so much fun!"

"It will not be FUN!" Celestia shouted. "Office work is BORING, especially when you're doing two times more than you should be!"

Luna shrank back. "Okay, sorry, it's not fun."

Celestia sighed. She shouldn't be mad. "Okay. Sorry. Thanks."

"Oh, sister!" Luna's eyes lit up. "Oh, Tia!"

"Under one condition." Celestia held up a hoof. "You and Sombra MUST finish the day's work or you'll be doing it the next day along with that day's work."

"Okay! Oh, Celestia, you won't regret this! Okay, I have to go take care of the moon now-bye!" She dashed out before Celestia could reply.

Leaving the Celestial Princess of Equestria wondering: what had she done?

The next day, Celestia woke up, brushed her mane, tail, coat, and teeth, slipped on her tiara and hoof crowns, and set out for the town.

She visited old Cleur de Fleur, who had taken on an apprentice to run her shop-she had finally admitted that she was getting old.

She took a quick trip to Ponyville using a teleporting Ancient Alicorn spell (tempyritus) and visited Clara's Cakes, then went around her kingdom talking to all her citizens.

It was late afternoon when she finally got back to the palace, happy at seeing all her citizens' joyful faces. It was only by the entrance to her office that she finally wondered if Luna and Sombra had actually completed the day's work. She wanted to check, so she opened the door just a crack to check it out.

Papers were strewn all over the office, quills flung carelessly into the chandelier, onto the floor, jammed in drawers and left in inkwells. A bust of Shakespony had been knocked onto the floor, and his left ear had cracked off. The side-table off to the side held all assortments of crusty glasses and crumbed-up plates, and a jam tart was slowly oozing down the right wall.

In the middle of the chaos, Luna and Sombra sat at Celestia's desk, Sombra in the chair, Luna on the desk itself. They were looking at a document and reading it over, snorting, then broke into peals of helpless laughter.

Seeing Sombra sitting so easily in her own chair angered Celestia even more than seeing her office in utter chaos. Which was easily resolved with a little magic, but Sombra's attitude was something she could not stand anymore.

"What do you think you two are _doing_?" Celestia yelled, galloping into the room, right up to the desk. She levitated Sombra out of her chair and onto the ground. "Why is my office so messy, why are half of the papers on the floor and on the furniture unsigned or half-done, and _why are you sitting in my seat_?!"

Sombra brushed himself off. "Princess Celestia, with all due respect, we thought your office could use some...decorating." He looked at Luna, as if expecting her to laugh, but she looked terrified.

And with good reason. Celestia's eyes glowed with fury. How dare he pretend that this was all a joke, how dare he waltz into the palace and distract her sister from her royal duties and think he was high enough to call an _Equestrian royal_ a _hardflank_. She'd put up with it before, because she wanted Luna to be happy, but Celestia could take it no more. "You...you are not welcome here, in this castle, or anywhere near Canterlot! You will leave, and you will _never come back_. I don't want to see your scoundrel face ANYWHERE NEAR MY SISTER!"

Rearing her head, Celestia threw a spell at Sombra, who finally had the decency to look frightened. She threw him out of the window, shattering it, and flung him into the distance. His form was soon no longer than a dot on the horizon.

Luna was crouched down, sobbing and using a document for a tissue. Angrily, Celestia tore it away.

"How could you?! I trusted you to _stay on task_ and _do some work_! Instead you trash my office and do _next to no work_! I'm sure when the mail ponies go through the baskets, they'll find official royal documents smeared with jam and crumpled up through a rough journey down the chute!"

"How could _you_ banish him?! How could you fling him out the window, how could you toss him to his death?! Who are you to decide somepony's fate?" Luna sobbed again.

"Stop crying," Celestia snapped. "I won't have this. First you bring that... that _lowly worm_ into my palace, allow him into the castle _every day_, then stand by and watch as he disrespects me, as he treats the castle as his own, as he _makes my office a garbage dump_?! And how dare you think I would kill him! He'll find a pillowy piece of magic by where he finally lands."

Luna didn't stop crying. Instead, she got up and ran for the door. "I loved him! And it's your fault now that we'll never see each other again!" She left, shutting the door behind her with a hollow bang.

And for the first time since her parents' death, Celestia felt a single tear escape her eye.


End file.
